Business Process Analysis & Design

Course Outline

1. Develop the Process List

Every workplace contains business processes, however not all business processes are documented. This section focuses on how to develop a process list. After identifying the business processes, decision-making tools are practiced to consider what is important to the business. These tools include using prioritization and weighting criteria to make decisions based on business needs. Finally, you will discover how to gain support and buy-in from key stakeholders.

2. Define the Scope

Identifying the scope of the business process is critical for defining the boundaries of the project. In this section you will learn how to identify and document the boundaries of the business process that needs to be improved. Discussion and consideration of overcoming scope creep problems is also reviewed regarding the business process. Finally, you will determine what approvals are necessary before moving into detailed business analysis.

3. Draw the Process Model

Process modeling ensures understanding of the business processes being analyzed. In this section you will learn the basics of process models, standard charting shapes, and the various levels used to draw business processes. Both visual models and text are practiced in this section to ensure understanding of the current state, as well as reviewing who needs to be involved in this step.

4. Estimate Time and Cost

Estimating time and cost for the current state involves analyzing process and cycle time, as well as existing costs to provide a return on investment. Examination of how to determine time and cost estimates for the current state is provided in this section, as well as the specific types of costs to analyze for potential business process improvement. 

5. Validate the Process Model

Reviewing and confirming your analysis of the current state is critical before identifying potential improvements for the desired future state. This section focuses on the correct sequence to perform the validation steps with the project stakeholders. After validation is completed, improvement targets can begin to be identified.

6. Apply Improvement Methods

Now that the current state has been validated, the course focus begins to shift toward the future state. This section includes applying multiple techniques for proposing changes to the future state by using an extreme visual model. A process is followed to apply six improvement methods to ensure effective analysis work has been applied. Upon completion of analyzing what to improve, you will draw the process model for the proposed future state.

7. Establish Controls & Metrics

Adding controls to the business process ensures accuracy, reliability and can reduce errors. In this first part of the section you will identify controls necessary for the future state. Establishing metrics helps ensure effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of the business process. The second part of this section will help you distinguish which metrics will help evaluate whether the improved business process will work as you planned.

8. Test the Process

Testing the new or improved business process helps to identify bottlenecks, as well as work out bugs, defects and/or errors. Testing also helps ensure the process meets stated goals and provides for smooth implementation of the business process. This section will help you identify what needs to be included in testing the proposed future state.

9. Evaluate Change Readiness

During the analysis process it is critical to consider what the business is trying to accomplish. Evaluating change readiness helps to create strategies for minimizing the change impacts on the workplace, the workers, as well as avoiding distractions. This section examines change impacts, resistors to change and how to create an implementation plan for the changes identified to the business process. 

10. Perform Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to enhance products, services or processes. This section focuses on how to monitor a business process and make adjustments as necessary so the business process repeatedly gets better over time. You will learn how to use different root cause analysis techniques to improve business processes and how to put together a continuous improvement plan. Finally, you will monitor data to identify and rank performance problems once the business process has been piloted.

Hands-On Exercises:

Exercise 1 – Develop the Process List. The training division of a consulting firm needs your help evaluating which business process to improve. Working with your team, you will:

• Review the background information for the case study.
• Develop a process list using a decision-making tool.
• Apply the scaling criteria learned in this section.
• Determine which business process to improve.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 2 – Define the Scope. Now that you have helped the training division determine which business process to improve, the firm is now deciding whether to test it in their area first before rolling it out to the rest of the company. The objective of this exercise is to determine the scope of the business process that will be used in further exercises. Working with your team, you will:

• Read the system requirements description.
• Define the scope of the business process.
• Use a template to establish the scope of the project.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 3 – Draw the Process Model. Once the scope of the business process has been identified, it is much easier to draw the process model. This exercise uses standard charting shapes to represent graphically via a process model the scope of the business process. Working with your team, you will:

• Draw the process model for the case study.
• Apply standard charting shapes to your process model.
• Capture the current state of the business process and learn about detail documents.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 4 – Estimate Time for the Case Study. Estimating time and cost on a process model involves looking at both process and cycle time in order to determine hard and/or soft cost savings. The objective of this exercise is to help you learn how to estimate how long the current state is taking the business to perform and how to equate that to costs. Working with your team, you will:

• Estimate the time for the activities in the case study.
• Compare your estimates with the other team's estimates.
• Determine which activities will need process and/or cycle time improvement for the future state.

Exercise 5 – Validate the Process Model. This step ensures the business process has everything the key stakeholders of the business need. Once problems or opportunities are discovered, improvement targets for the business process can be identified. This exercise consists of a large group discussion to pinpoint improvement targets for the case study.

Exercise 6 – Apply the Improvement Methods. There are six improvement methods to analyze when improving business processes. The objective of this exercise is to identify which of the six improvement methods would benefit the case study business process. Working with your team, you will:

• Identify improvement methods for the case study by noting them on the current state process model.
• Examine all six improvement methods in a specific order.
• Create the future state process model based on your team's improvement recommendations.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 7 – Establish Controls and Metrics. In order for the future state business process to be effective, it is important to identify where there could be potential problems with the improvements and how to measure if the improved business process meets the needs of the stakeholders. Working with your team, you will:

• Identify the future state process model using control points.
• Clarify and improve the success measurements from the scope definition document by writing SMART objectives and identifying specific metrics you will use to measure.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 8 – Test the Process. Testing a new or improved business process is critical for ensuring the process will meet the needs of the stakeholders. This exercise consists of a large group discussion to identify recommendations for how to test the case study business process regarding test plan creation, scenario development, test plan implementation, feedback and retesting.

Exercise 9 – Evaluate Change Readiness. Moving from the current state to the future state involves change. Not everyone is excited about change and this step of the process oftentimes gets overlooked. The objective of this exercise is to learn how to evaluate change impacts and determine strategies to help the business cope with the changes. Working with your team, you will:

• Examine the changes caused by the case study business process.
• Complete an impact analysis for the case study.
• Determine next steps for implementing the changes.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.

Exercise 10 – Perform Continuous Improvement. The final section emphasizes how business processes need to involve ongoing efforts to ensure the business process does not become inefficient, ineffective and inadaptable. The objective of this exercise is to examine data from the case study to be used to practice ongoing refinements of the business process. Working with your team, you will:

• Examine the data for the case study pilot.
• Document conclusions.
• Identify opportunities for continued improvement.
• Discuss your results with the other teams.